Alarm devices such as sirens or bells have been widely used to indicate an emergency situation such as a fire or burglary. When an emergency situation arises, the alarms devices typically operate to generate loud alarm sounds. In general, the sound generated by an alarm device is designed to be easily perceived by people so that they can be immediately alerted to the emergency situation and take appropriate actions for safety.
In an actual emergency situation, the original emergency event that triggered the alarm sound may not be clear to those in the vicinity of the emergency. Further, the location of the source of the emergency such as a fire may not be immediately apparent to those near the emergency. For example, despite an alarm sound, people in the vicinity of the emergency may not be able to identify a burglary as the cause of the alarm sound. Similarly, the location of a fire may not be readily identifiable due to smoke. Accordingly, people perceiving an alarm may not have a clear understanding of the emergency situation to respond appropriately.
Moreover, a person in an emergency situation may not be familiar with the location or a building in which an alarm is triggered. In such case, a person may try to obtain information on such location or building through a mobile device. However, such an effort may result in a delay in responding to the emergency situation. Further, even with knowledge of such location or building, a person in the emergency situation may not be able to respond appropriately due to panic or an emergency condition such as smoke from a fire.
Thus, there is a need for a method and system for communicating information on an emergency event to allow a mobile device to provide an instruction for responding to the emergency event.
Recently, the use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers has become widespread. These devices typically provide a voice and data communication capability over wireless networks. In addition, such devices typically include other features or applications that provide a variety of functions designed to enhance user convenience.
One such feature is a voice call function in which a mobile device may call a phone number in response to receiving a voice command from a user. This feature allows the user to call a desired phone number without physically entering the number by hand on the mobile device. Accordingly, the voice call function may be used to call a phone number in a variety of situations in which the user may not be able to physically input the number by hand.
The voice call function may allow a user of a mobile device to make a call in an emergency situation. When the user has been injured in an accident such as a fall, a vehicular accident, or the like, the user may call a phone number for assistance using the voice call function of the mobile device. For example, if the user is unable to physically operate the mobile device due to injury, the user may speak a command such as “CALL 911” to the mobile device to seek assistance. However, voice call functions may be triggered unintentionally by erroneous recognition of a voice command. An erroneous call to an emergency number, e.g., 911, is particularly undesirable. Such an erroneous call wastes the resources of the emergency service as well as subjecting the user to potential penalties.